“People don’t realize that eyes are 10 times more sensitive to UV than the skin”: why you should wear sunglasses

When the sun shines, we protect our skin with sunscreen. “But our eyes also see harmful radiation and we often forget about it,” warns British ophthalmologist Susan Sarangapani in The daily mail. That’s why she calls on you to put sunglasses on your nose from March to October. According to her, this can prevent a whole range of health problems.

“People don’t realize that eyes are ten times more sensitive to harmful UV radiation than the skin,” says Susan Sarangapani, affiliated with the OCL eye clinic in London. “Lighter eye colors in particular because they have less pigment to absorb the rays. Inadequate or no protection of the eyes can lead to problems: from excessive blinking due to light sensitivity to serious long-term conditions that can cause vision loss. Think of cataracts, a condition that clouds vision, and even (eyeball) cancer.”

Eight months

Sarangapani wears sunglasses when she goes outside for eight months of the year — from mid-March to mid-October. “The radiation is strongest during those months. Even when it is cloudy, because UV rays can penetrate through clouds. The risk of eye problems is therefore also real outside the summer months.” The expert says that sunglasses are absolutely indispensable in the morning and evening. “At these times the sun is lower in the sky and your eyes can be blinded by the glare, meaning they are being hit by radiation.”

Safe model

Want to invest in new sunglasses for complete safety? Then check whether the UV400 label is on it. “This means you are fully protected,” says ophthalmologist Steven Renier, affiliated with the Laser Vision Clinic in Ghent. “UV400 is a quality mark and implies that the glasses absorb UV-A, -B and -C rays, up to a wavelength of 400 nanometers. You can buy cheap sunglasses with the correct (UV400) labels, but be sure to check. Avoid dark glasses without protection. These will enlarge your pupils, allowing more harmful light to enter. FYI: you also have glasses with labels such as UV480 on the lenses. They go a little further in the filtering.”

“In addition, there will also be a CE marking on your glasses,” says Renier. “This determines how much of the normal light your sunglasses will let through. In other words: on this basis you can estimate how likely it is that you will be blinded when the sun shines at its brightest. This indication has nothing to do with the degree of UV protection. “Most sunglasses are of the CE3 type and block 75 percent of the incoming light. These models are ideal for not being dazzled at sea or on the beach.”